This is an excerpt from Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi (1517 Publishing, 2024), pgs. 12-14.
“Wolf said you were at war with the devil,” Philipp recounts. “Well, close enough. I’m writing a letter to your good friend.” “Camerarius?”
“No, Camerarius is no devil. I speak of the eel in Basel.”
This is the title Martin has bestowed upon Erasmus due to the latter’s tendency to squirm his way out of unfavorable situations, or perhaps on account of the difficulty of pinning him down on anything. Philipp swallows hard, the muscles of his throat constricting, for he has had premonitions of a dreadful collision to come: the two men who have shaped him most may soon break each other to shards. To avoid that strife is his dearest wish of the moment. Knowing Martin’s general disdain for the Dutch scholar, Philipp fears what the contents of the letter might be. Erasmus prides himself on courtesy of form in all his correspondence and will surely take offense at any failure to return the favor.
“And is that how you intend to address Erasmus in your letter? ‘Dearest eel, I have a petition to make of you’?” Philipp inquires, suggesting a lightness of spirit he does not feel.
“No, no,” Martin insists, chuckling. “The niceties must be observed. I am not so crude as all that, no matter what people say.” He turns back toward the desk, recovers his pen, and begins scribbling again.
Philipp sets his lantern on the floor and moves closer, ducking beneath the hanging papers and attempting to avoid the mess on the floor. I would never leave my study in such a state, he thinks, but he would never do half the things Martin does. When he is close enough to look over Martin’s shoulder, he asks, “What are you writing to him?”The reply is curt. “I am urging him to stay out of our affairs and leave the theology to theologians.”
“He’ll love that,” mutters Philipp, his insides clenched. The last thing they need is to anger the most respected scholar in Christendom when they could very much use his support.
“You should know—you who are such good friends with him.”
There is more than a hint of accusation in this statement, and Philipp finds it entirely unfair. After all, Erasmus is hardly the only person who has failed to embrace their calls for doctrinal reform, and unlike many others, he has steered clear of openly condemning the Wittenberg movement.
“You do know I’ve never met the man, right?” Philipp asks.
“If only I could receive such heaps of praise from men I have never met! Yet even the ones I do meet find something to complain about.”
“Well, that’s the answer then: stop meeting people. Keep that sharp wit to yourself.”
Martin ceases writing again and looks up. “How long have you known me, Philipp?”
Philipp knows what his colleague means: He cannot help himself. It is who he is. It is a truth Philipp is loath to accept.
“Fair enough,” Philipp concedes. “I wish we could get through to him—to Erasmus. I believe him to be a man of good character, and he is as devoted to the recovery of biblical studies as anyone.”
“Yes,” Martin muses, his voice trailing off along with his gaze. “What a pity he should lead us to the Jordan only to succumb to fear. I suppose it is his fate to languish in the wilderness.”
“Can you not simply see him as I do: a great scholar, a man of letters, the one who called us back to the sources?”
Martin’s eyes latch onto Philipp’s again. He speaks with great conviction. “I do not deny his role in shaping our fortunes, but there comes a time when every man, be he great or small, must take a stand—must find something to believe in. I think your friend does not believe in anything.”
Broken Bonds is now available for Preorder.
